I've been a little quiet on here over the past few weeks because I've been plowing ahead with some of my books, trying to get them finished and ready for release by the end of the year.
I've also been working on a new self-hosted site that's still in progress, but it is up and running and subject to change as I discover new and shiny things to add to it to make it homely and functional.
I've also set up a mailing list, which you can sign up to from here (on the side bar), or at the new site (but only sign up once - you'll be signing up to the same list)
Subscribers will get first dibs on pre-release review copies of new books and special offers from time to time. I'm starting it off as a quarterly thing, so you'll get updates 4 times a year at the least, and also when I have new stuff out or special offers and giveaways.
You can now find me at srsilcox.com Head on over and let me know what you think about my new place, and as is customary, I'm happy to receive any housewarming gifts you might bring - beer and chocolate are most welcome.
Friday, 13 September 2013
Thursday, 1 August 2013
What I really think of... Hugh Howey
 |
| Hugh Howey's Wool |
So begins Hugh Howey's first novella in his blockbuster Silo series, Wool.
I can't exactly remember when I first heard about this guy, Hugh Howey, but I do remember his name popping up all over twitter and blogs, and I thought "Hell, I'll give this guy a go." At 99c for his first novella, Wool, it was a pretty good bargain, and having received my first kindle for Christmas 2011, I was looking for cheap books to fill it.
I read that first book in one sitting then immediately downloaded the second part ("Proper Gauge") and then the third one ("Casting Off"). I remember staying up until the early hours of the morning to finish "Casting Off", and making myself wait until the next morning to download the final two in the series "The Unraveling" and "The Stranded".
Briefly, the Silo series is set in an apocalyptic world, where humans live underground in huge silos 144 stories below the ground. It's set in a time when no-one can remember what happened on the outside, and no-one questions why they live the way they do.
That is, until Jules comes along. Jules is a mechanic from the Down Deep, the very bottom levels of the silo, where she works to keep the machinery of the silo functioning. Needing a new sheriff after the tragedy that is Holston's death (which is so hauntingly written in Wool 1), Jules is the one who steps up (albeit reluctantly). Her curiosity gets the better of her, and she begins to question everything she has ever been told about the history of the silo and the circumstances of their existence. Wool 2-5 follows Jules' story - the consequences of questioning long-held beliefs, and the lengths that some will go to to protect the status quo.
The reason I love these books so much is that they focus on something that is a real problem in our own time - taking what we see for granted, and living our lives through computer screens. We listen to politicians and the media and assume that what they tell us is the truth. We have no real desire to do the hard work and find information for ourselves. We form opinions on someone else's view of the world, instead of seeing it for ourselves.
I know from reading interviews of Hugh that those were major factors in his desire to write this series.
I came away from that first series feeling like I needed to be more involved in the world around me; to take a more proactive role in my own life, instead of sitting back and letting it happen.
For any of my teacher friends out there, if you're looking for books to spark discussions with students, these are the books to read.
On a slightly different tangent, Hugh is also a shining light for those of us looking to self-publish our own stories. Hugh began with a small publisher with his first Molly Fyde book (Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue), a YA science fiction novel, and quickly learned that he could do a lot of the publishing side of things himself.
So he did.
The popularity of his Silo series made bigger publishers and agents sit up and take notice, and he made history when he signed a print only deal with Simon and Schuster, enabling him to keep his digital (ebook) rights.
This is extremely significant, because traditionally, contracts from publishers effectively restrict authors from writing and publishing anything that is seen to be in competition to the books they've sold, which really means everything that comes after.
I won't bore you with the ins and outs of how that deal will hopefully help to change the publishing industry in the long term, and how they treat their authors, but suffice it to say, it's a small step in the right direction.
There is so much more I can say about Hugh Howey and the effect he's had on the self- and indie-publishing industries and authors, but I will leave the other stuff for another post.
The last thing I will say is BUY HIS BOOKS! I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
You can find Hugh here:
Hugh Howey
Buy his books from Amazon (or order the paper copies of his books from your local bookstore):
Hugh's Amazon Author Page
You can find out more about his Wool series at Simon and Schuster here:
Wool Series
Monday, 15 July 2013
Monday, 1 July 2013
Introducing... Layce Gardner
I'm not big on the lesbian romance genre. (I can't believe I can say that with a straight face, considering I am currently dabbling in that genre, but anyway.)
I guess it's because my early forays into it were a little sub-par. The characters were all a little too beat up, and some of the plot points bordered too far on the unbelievable side of the fence for me.
I get it. We've all been through our Coming Out period, our Lusting After our Straight Best Friend period and our U-Haul Lesbian period (in Australia we call it the Budget Lesbian period) among others. Most of us want to read about that stuff to make us feel better about bad decisions, bad romances, and to escape from our bad, sad lives.
Here's the thing. I'm more than the sum of my bad and sad parts. I have lots of happy times. "Why doesn't anyone write about the happy times?" I lamented. "Why doesn't anyone write something fun?"
Then I found Layce Gardner. I am proud to be able to call her my Facebook Friend. (Which means that shestupidly accepted my friend request even though she didn't know me from a bar of soap, and now I can stalk her interact with her whenever I want.)
I can't remember exactly how I discovered her novel Tats, but I devoured it in two sittings. I would have devoured it in one, but a pesky little thing called my day job came between us.
I passed my paperback copy on to a great friend of mine, along with rave reviews. (Lisa, I still want it back!)
I loved the book so much, in fact, that as soon as the next book Tats Too came out, I downloaded it onto my kindle as soon as it was available. This time, I got to read it while I was on holiday in Fiji - I wasn't going to let a little thing like a friend's wedding get in the way of me and that book.
I read parts of it out to my wife, giggling like an idiot, while my wife just looked at me knowing full well I AM an idiot. "I guess you have to read what happened before" was my answer to her blank looks.
Anyway, to the point.
I downloaded and read Penny Nickels and Wild at Heart as soon as they came out too, and was itching for more.
That was a few months ago now, and I had decided that I wasn't going to go out of my way to buy any new books until I had finished some of my own.
Then, I saw this pop up on my facebook feed:
I was so excited that the new book was available, but you know, my no-book-buying thing.
I held off for exactly three days.
I bought it, promising that I would only read the first chapter after I had at least completed my word-count quota for the day.
I only lasted a couple of hours before I thought "I'll just read the first paragraph and see if it grabs me."
A couple of hours of reading and laughing out loud later, I realised that it was past midnight, and that I had wanted to get to bed early, so I could get up early and get in some pre-caffeinated writing time. (For non-writers, that's the best time to trick my muse into giving up some of her secrets - before she wakes up and goes MIA).
I don't really have the whole "do something good, reward yourself" thing down very well.
So the truth of it is, I don't think I can hold out on reading the rest of the book. I think I might just take an early weekend and go ahead and get it over and done with.
If you're curious, my favourite part of the book so far is when the girls (Dana and Trudy) are sharing an unlit cigarette. They both take pretend puffs and then Trudy takes the cigarette back and "ashes" on the floor.
No wait. It's when Dana meets Ellen. "She had brown-almost-black eyes like melted chocolate and a smile that reminded Dana of strawberry cheesecake. Her smile itself didn't exactly remind Dana of cheesecake; it's that the smile gave her the same feeling as looking at a slice of strawberry cheesecake."
No, it's the conversation about Dana's need to fill a hole in a conversation. "See, when there's a hole in the conversation I feel this urge to stick something in the hole. In fact, there's very few people in this world I'm comfortable being around and not sticking something in their hole."
Layce, you had me at "'My girlfriend is a slut,' Dana Dooley said." It's going to be another late night.
You can find Layce's books on Amazon here
Check out her blog here
I guess it's because my early forays into it were a little sub-par. The characters were all a little too beat up, and some of the plot points bordered too far on the unbelievable side of the fence for me.
I get it. We've all been through our Coming Out period, our Lusting After our Straight Best Friend period and our U-Haul Lesbian period (in Australia we call it the Budget Lesbian period) among others. Most of us want to read about that stuff to make us feel better about bad decisions, bad romances, and to escape from our bad, sad lives.
Here's the thing. I'm more than the sum of my bad and sad parts. I have lots of happy times. "Why doesn't anyone write about the happy times?" I lamented. "Why doesn't anyone write something fun?"
Then I found Layce Gardner. I am proud to be able to call her my Facebook Friend. (Which means that she
I can't remember exactly how I discovered her novel Tats, but I devoured it in two sittings. I would have devoured it in one, but a pesky little thing called my day job came between us.
I passed my paperback copy on to a great friend of mine, along with rave reviews. (Lisa, I still want it back!)
I loved the book so much, in fact, that as soon as the next book Tats Too came out, I downloaded it onto my kindle as soon as it was available. This time, I got to read it while I was on holiday in Fiji - I wasn't going to let a little thing like a friend's wedding get in the way of me and that book.
I read parts of it out to my wife, giggling like an idiot, while my wife just looked at me knowing full well I AM an idiot. "I guess you have to read what happened before" was my answer to her blank looks.
Anyway, to the point.
I downloaded and read Penny Nickels and Wild at Heart as soon as they came out too, and was itching for more.
That was a few months ago now, and I had decided that I wasn't going to go out of my way to buy any new books until I had finished some of my own.
Then, I saw this pop up on my facebook feed:
I was so excited that the new book was available, but you know, my no-book-buying thing.
I held off for exactly three days.
I bought it, promising that I would only read the first chapter after I had at least completed my word-count quota for the day.
I only lasted a couple of hours before I thought "I'll just read the first paragraph and see if it grabs me."
A couple of hours of reading and laughing out loud later, I realised that it was past midnight, and that I had wanted to get to bed early, so I could get up early and get in some pre-caffeinated writing time. (For non-writers, that's the best time to trick my muse into giving up some of her secrets - before she wakes up and goes MIA).
I don't really have the whole "do something good, reward yourself" thing down very well.
So the truth of it is, I don't think I can hold out on reading the rest of the book. I think I might just take an early weekend and go ahead and get it over and done with.
If you're curious, my favourite part of the book so far is when the girls (Dana and Trudy) are sharing an unlit cigarette. They both take pretend puffs and then Trudy takes the cigarette back and "ashes" on the floor.
No wait. It's when Dana meets Ellen. "She had brown-almost-black eyes like melted chocolate and a smile that reminded Dana of strawberry cheesecake. Her smile itself didn't exactly remind Dana of cheesecake; it's that the smile gave her the same feeling as looking at a slice of strawberry cheesecake."
No, it's the conversation about Dana's need to fill a hole in a conversation. "See, when there's a hole in the conversation I feel this urge to stick something in the hole. In fact, there's very few people in this world I'm comfortable being around and not sticking something in their hole."
Layce, you had me at "'My girlfriend is a slut,' Dana Dooley said." It's going to be another late night.
You can find Layce's books on Amazon here
Check out her blog here
Monday, 24 June 2013
Introducing... a new series of posts
Regular readers of my blog will know that I am very irregular with my posting schedule. It's not that I'm too busy to write anything, it's just that I write stuff, forget about it, then it's old news. Or I have a great idea for a ranty post but then think better of it, so I don't write anything.
Anyway, I've been thinking a lot lately about how I want my books to spread by word-of-mouth from readers who love my work. I realised that I am also a reader, and therefore I should be spreading the word on authors and books I love so anyone who's interested can check them out for themselves.
Spread the love I say.
With that in mind, and having discovered some pretty awesome writers and books over the last 18 months that I've had my kindle, I've decided to do a series of posts on those books and authors I think deserve a little bloggy love.
My intention is to post these monthly, but we'll see how we go.
First cab off the rank is one of my new favourite lesbian romance authors, Layce Gardner. That post is ready and raring to go, and will go up on the 1st of July.
Other authors I'll be posting about will include Hugh Howey (he of the Wool phenomenon), JA Konrath, Lindsay Buroker and John Scalzi.
There will be others as I continue to read and go back over my "Read" list on my kindle.
There's a pretty eclectic mix of genres, so not everyone will like all the books or all the authors I recommend. The great thing about the kindle, though, is that you get to download a sample and then can buy it if you like it, or ditch it if you don't.
I'm also open to suggestions, so feel free to drop me an email or a comment on the blog.
Anyway, I've been thinking a lot lately about how I want my books to spread by word-of-mouth from readers who love my work. I realised that I am also a reader, and therefore I should be spreading the word on authors and books I love so anyone who's interested can check them out for themselves.
Spread the love I say.
With that in mind, and having discovered some pretty awesome writers and books over the last 18 months that I've had my kindle, I've decided to do a series of posts on those books and authors I think deserve a little bloggy love.
My intention is to post these monthly, but we'll see how we go.
First cab off the rank is one of my new favourite lesbian romance authors, Layce Gardner. That post is ready and raring to go, and will go up on the 1st of July.
Other authors I'll be posting about will include Hugh Howey (he of the Wool phenomenon), JA Konrath, Lindsay Buroker and John Scalzi.
There will be others as I continue to read and go back over my "Read" list on my kindle.
There's a pretty eclectic mix of genres, so not everyone will like all the books or all the authors I recommend. The great thing about the kindle, though, is that you get to download a sample and then can buy it if you like it, or ditch it if you don't.
I'm also open to suggestions, so feel free to drop me an email or a comment on the blog.
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Hidden Treasures in a $5 Box of Books
A couple of weeks ago, we went to an auction. The local second hand store was going out of business, and everything was going - no reserve. Dangerous place to take me, let me tell you.
So off we went at 8am on a Saturday morning to sign in and have a look at the wares. We'd been through the shop before of course before it went up for sale, but everything was so expensive! Especially since it was all previously used, previously loved (or not) or very, very old.
I went straight to the books section, where everything had been boxed up, and made sure to write down the numbers of all the boxes I wanted. There were many, but I didn't want to be greedy. I just wanted the four boxes that held the children's books, and a box of really old hardcover books in various states of disrepair.
By the time the auction made it as far as those boxes of books, I had inhaled two cups of CWA coffee and a couple of home-made scones (with jam and cream). Wifey had headed off home to do some housework and left me to my bidding wars.
The first three boxes of books went for $35 a piece, and contained hundreds of old western magaziney type books that looked pretty cool. I only wanted one of those boxes, but the guy who won the first box took all three. (See? Greedy!)
Then we came to the table that held the boxes of books I coveted. There were around 15 boxes of books, of which I only wanted three. The auctioneer explained that we would be bidding "for the pick" - so the winning bidder could take their pick of any or all those boxes. Just my luck that someone will want the whole damn table, I thought.
My luck, it seemed, was in. I was the winning bidder at $5 for a pick. I thought at first I only got one pick, but no, that auctioneer said I could have as many as I wanted, and pick my numbers. So I chose my three boxes, making my grand total spend for standing around for three hours at $15. And the laugh was on the other bidders for being slow out of the traps - the next lowest pick bid went for $15 for a box.
We got them home (after bidding on and winning a few more things, and spending a little over 8 hours in total at the auction), and I couldn't wait to go through those books to see what my $15 had bought me.
I lucked in to a pretty good haul. Below are some pictures of a couple of things that caught my eye. The rest of the books have been sorted out and are going to the kids in my family.
Yes, I'm THAT aunt that always turns up with books!
I can't wait to re-read 101 Dalmations. I remember reading this one when I was in primary school, just before the Disney movie came out. I went to the local movie theatre with my cousins to watch the movie, and loved how the movie mirrored my imagination when I'd read the book.
Some classics I haven't yet read, but have been on my To Read list for a long time. Now I get to finally read them - when I can find the time.
Ah, sweet romances. I mostly read SVH and the Sweet Dreams series of books. The thing I remember most about them was how they made me feel so warm and fuzzy after reading them. Also, I always wanted to be the guy getting the girl, rather than the other way around.
This is a classic Aussie poem and song. It would have been something I read when I was at primary school. It's really banged up, but the illustrations are fantastic. Though I want to share this with my nieces and nephews, I'm going to keep this one on my bookshelf.
These aren't the only great books from my haul, but they are the ones that brought back some great memories from my childhood.
I love how books can do that.
So off we went at 8am on a Saturday morning to sign in and have a look at the wares. We'd been through the shop before of course before it went up for sale, but everything was so expensive! Especially since it was all previously used, previously loved (or not) or very, very old.
I went straight to the books section, where everything had been boxed up, and made sure to write down the numbers of all the boxes I wanted. There were many, but I didn't want to be greedy. I just wanted the four boxes that held the children's books, and a box of really old hardcover books in various states of disrepair.
By the time the auction made it as far as those boxes of books, I had inhaled two cups of CWA coffee and a couple of home-made scones (with jam and cream). Wifey had headed off home to do some housework and left me to my bidding wars.
The first three boxes of books went for $35 a piece, and contained hundreds of old western magaziney type books that looked pretty cool. I only wanted one of those boxes, but the guy who won the first box took all three. (See? Greedy!)
Then we came to the table that held the boxes of books I coveted. There were around 15 boxes of books, of which I only wanted three. The auctioneer explained that we would be bidding "for the pick" - so the winning bidder could take their pick of any or all those boxes. Just my luck that someone will want the whole damn table, I thought.
My luck, it seemed, was in. I was the winning bidder at $5 for a pick. I thought at first I only got one pick, but no, that auctioneer said I could have as many as I wanted, and pick my numbers. So I chose my three boxes, making my grand total spend for standing around for three hours at $15. And the laugh was on the other bidders for being slow out of the traps - the next lowest pick bid went for $15 for a box.
We got them home (after bidding on and winning a few more things, and spending a little over 8 hours in total at the auction), and I couldn't wait to go through those books to see what my $15 had bought me.
I lucked in to a pretty good haul. Below are some pictures of a couple of things that caught my eye. The rest of the books have been sorted out and are going to the kids in my family.
Yes, I'm THAT aunt that always turns up with books!
 | |
| 101 Dalmations. |
 |
| Schindler's List and White Fang |
Some classics I haven't yet read, but have been on my To Read list for a long time. Now I get to finally read them - when I can find the time.
 |
| Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley University |
 |
| Waltzing Matilda |
These aren't the only great books from my haul, but they are the ones that brought back some great memories from my childhood.
I love how books can do that.
Friday, 17 May 2013
What non-writers need to know about writers
This post is going out to all my non-writer friends and family, and is a (mostly) tongue-in-cheek list of things you should know about writers. There is a grain of truth to all of them, and of course, this list is incomplete, only because it's based on my experiences as a writer, and not writers in general.
1. Any conversation you have with us, or event that you share with us, may be used in a story at any time in the future. Of course, names will be changed to protect the guilty, and it will be embellished to within an inch of its life.
2. We may have based a character on you, but it't not the one you think. And no, we won't tell you which one it is.
3. When you ask us how our book is going, and we reply with "which one?" we are only half joking. We flit between WIPs like an ADD kid on a sugar high.
4. Our writing time is precious. It comes in a close second toprocrastinating on the internet researching.
5. Theoretically, it takes next to no time to write a book, based on words per hour. It's finding the right words that take up all of our time.
6. The three essential food groups for a writer are caffeine, alcohol and sugar. Sometimes all at once.
7. We will meticulously set up our study/writing space, only to end up writing on the laptop on the lounge, or spread our paperwork out on the dining table. Creativity cannot be restrained.
8. The only time we're happy to do the housework is when we're on a deadline with a book.
9. We will take notes anywhere and everywhere - on napkins, receipts, popcorn containers and on our hands when necessary. It is quite normal for us to wake at 3am, write a few lines, and go back to sleep like nothing ever happened.
10. We are always writing, even when we're taking part in an activity that looks like it has nothing to do with our work. Staring in to space is plotting, and watching TV or a movie is research.
And a bonus:
11. We love social media. Writing is most often a solitary pursuit, so we use facebook, twitter and whatever new sites and apps are available to keep in touch with the "real world". Having said that, if you see us pop up too often, ask us sternly "Why aren't you writing?"
Have I missed anything? Feel free to add to my list in the comments.
1. Any conversation you have with us, or event that you share with us, may be used in a story at any time in the future. Of course, names will be changed to protect the guilty, and it will be embellished to within an inch of its life.
2. We may have based a character on you, but it't not the one you think. And no, we won't tell you which one it is.
3. When you ask us how our book is going, and we reply with "which one?" we are only half joking. We flit between WIPs like an ADD kid on a sugar high.
4. Our writing time is precious. It comes in a close second to
5. Theoretically, it takes next to no time to write a book, based on words per hour. It's finding the right words that take up all of our time.
6. The three essential food groups for a writer are caffeine, alcohol and sugar. Sometimes all at once.
7. We will meticulously set up our study/writing space, only to end up writing on the laptop on the lounge, or spread our paperwork out on the dining table. Creativity cannot be restrained.
8. The only time we're happy to do the housework is when we're on a deadline with a book.
9. We will take notes anywhere and everywhere - on napkins, receipts, popcorn containers and on our hands when necessary. It is quite normal for us to wake at 3am, write a few lines, and go back to sleep like nothing ever happened.
10. We are always writing, even when we're taking part in an activity that looks like it has nothing to do with our work. Staring in to space is plotting, and watching TV or a movie is research.
And a bonus:
11. We love social media. Writing is most often a solitary pursuit, so we use facebook, twitter and whatever new sites and apps are available to keep in touch with the "real world". Having said that, if you see us pop up too often, ask us sternly "Why aren't you writing?"
Have I missed anything? Feel free to add to my list in the comments.
Sunday, 24 March 2013
What Pad?
Wattpad is one of my most recent online
discoveries when I was procrastinating researching ways to find an audience.
I’m an unknown author, and in this new
world of Anyone Can Publish, being unknown is a huge problem. What’s also a
problem is building an audience for your books from scratch. I’ve read a lot of
authors who are very active on a LOT of sites and forums that have subject
matter similar to their book themes, but I think this really only works with
particular genres. Sci-fi is one that comes to mind as is Steampunk.
I’m not active on those types of sites, and
I don’t have the time or inclination to be active on them either. Though I am
working on a steampunk idea and I love the fiction genre, I’m not into the
steampunk movement, where people don costumes and assume characters and build
their own weapons etc. I’m fascinated by it of course, and I love seeing some
of the innovations and ideas people come up with, but apart from using those
things as research and inspiration, I don’t go much past that.
I’m on twitter, but not as active as what I
probably could be. I have a facebook page, but it’s my personal space. I do
have an author page I set up about a year ago, but I haven’t made it public,
and I’m not sure if I will or not. I also have this blog, which I am terrible
at keeping a regular schedule for. I want to get better at that, but at the
moment, writing fiction is taking precedent.
I also read a lot of writing blogs and
author blogs and a lot of them have articles on what they’ve done to build
their audiences and buzz for their books. I know that works for someone else
may not necessarily work for me, but I think I have managed to work out how I
want to go about getting my books out into the world and earning their keep.
That’s where Wattpad comes in.
Wattpad allows writers/authors of all
levels to provide free content to millions of readers around the world. Stories
of any length and genre are uploaded in short chunks (chapters or scenes), and
readers get the chance to vote for their favourites and make comments on the
work. The thing I like is that it gives authors the chance to interact directly
with their readership, which is much more personal than a blog.
Some articles I’ve read have worried that
if you provide your content for free on a site like Wattpad, readers will
become accustomed to free content and not want to pay, but a lot of authors who
have used the site share a different experience. In fact, I’ve only just signed
up to Wattpad, and added a few stories to my reading shelf, but have already
downloaded (paid for) one author’s books from kindle after reading the first in
the series or free. I could have just read all his stories on Wattpad for free,
but I was so excited by his work I downloaded the next two stories he’d written
in the series to my kindle straight away.
I’ve also commented on a few of the
chapters for other writers, and have started to make some connections. I
imagine they will grow when I put my own work up on the site.
Which brings me to some news. My birthday
is at the end of this month, and the blog turns two in a couple of weeks. I’ve
been writing for a long time, and finally have a few things written (90% or so
ready to go to beta readers) that I’m happy with and think would be perfect to
try out on Wattpad.
This Sunday (March 31st), I’ll be posting the first
chapter of one of my short novels (still a work in progress) on the Wattpad
site. You can read the first chapter of it (and any other stories posted on
there) without signing up. If you want to read more though and vote and make
comments (which I hope you do), you’ll need to sign up for a free account.
The thing I really like about the way
Wattpad works is that on top of the website, they have android and iMachine
apps, so you can keep up to date and read on the go, or while waiting for an
appointment. Each chunk is designed to be read quickly, so you don’t need to
invest a lot of time in one go to read a story.
Best of all, they’re free, and you get the
chance to discover new authors, and try out new genres, without having to
invest any of your hard-earned.
I’ll post the link to the first chapter
upload on facebook, twitter and here on the blog. Feel free to pass the link on
to anyone you think might enjoy it.
In the mean time, you can connect with me on Wattpad here.
Monday, 4 February 2013
Lesbian does not always equal sex
(Admit it. All you saw in the heading was "lesbian sex").
Now that I've got your attention, I wanted to chat about a couple of things that have been annoying me no end the last few weeks. I've been doing some research on an idea I have for some steampunky type characters and plots, and having some real fun checking out some of the steampunk websites around the place. (Check these cool gadgets out)
The first one I seem to be encountering whenever I search for lesbian steampunk. There doesn't appear to be too much around, which is great for me in a way, because I can tap into a fresh market. But I've stumbled across a few forums where other people have been asking for recommendations for some lesian steampunk, and the answers have almost always been to the tune of "I don't have anything to recommend for lesbian steampunk, but here's some cool erotica that you might like instead."
Now, I'm not big on the erotica genre anyway, but why is it always assumed that if you're looking for any type of fiction with lesbian characters (or gay for that matter), that you're automatically after erotica?
Here's a tip: I'm JUST after lesbian characters. I'm squeamish about badly written sex scenes, be they same-same or otherwise. Hell, I'm squeamish about sex scenes, badly written or not. I like to use my own imagination for those types of scenes, and much prefer the "fade out" effect. I'd rather not have a blow-by-blow of who puts what, where.
What I'm really looking for is this: steampunk stories, that don't have sex as the end goal, with lesbian characters. Simple? Apparently not.
The second thing I'm frustrated with is the amount of gratuitous sex in a lot of the lesbian books I'm reading. (I have a whole other post whinging about other stuff I don't like about lesbian fiction, but I'm sticking with the sex for this one).
I was reading a sample of one a couple of weeks ago (a sample, which is only the first 10%), and the lead character stops what she's doing to jump in the sack with some hussy she just met, within the first five pages. THE FIRST FIVE PAGES!! Give me a break. That is not characterisation. That is gratuitous sex. Not even James Bond jumps into bed with the women plotting his downfall in the first five pages (or the first five minutes in the case of the movies).
I get it. We have this image to protect where BBLs (Big Butch Lesbians) can bed anyone they want without consequence, and that makes them super cool. Women, straight and gay, fall at their feet and worship the ground they walk on.
I don't want to read about those characters.
Here's what I want.
I want characters who go through shit that doesn't happen just because they're lesbian. I want characters whose major trait is something OTHER than the fact that they're lesbian.
So the question is, how do I find those characters?
The answer: in my own head. My answer to my frustrations is to write what I want to read, since no-one else seems to be doing it.
Now that I've got your attention, I wanted to chat about a couple of things that have been annoying me no end the last few weeks. I've been doing some research on an idea I have for some steampunky type characters and plots, and having some real fun checking out some of the steampunk websites around the place. (Check these cool gadgets out)
The first one I seem to be encountering whenever I search for lesbian steampunk. There doesn't appear to be too much around, which is great for me in a way, because I can tap into a fresh market. But I've stumbled across a few forums where other people have been asking for recommendations for some lesian steampunk, and the answers have almost always been to the tune of "I don't have anything to recommend for lesbian steampunk, but here's some cool erotica that you might like instead."
Now, I'm not big on the erotica genre anyway, but why is it always assumed that if you're looking for any type of fiction with lesbian characters (or gay for that matter), that you're automatically after erotica?
Here's a tip: I'm JUST after lesbian characters. I'm squeamish about badly written sex scenes, be they same-same or otherwise. Hell, I'm squeamish about sex scenes, badly written or not. I like to use my own imagination for those types of scenes, and much prefer the "fade out" effect. I'd rather not have a blow-by-blow of who puts what, where.
What I'm really looking for is this: steampunk stories, that don't have sex as the end goal, with lesbian characters. Simple? Apparently not.
The second thing I'm frustrated with is the amount of gratuitous sex in a lot of the lesbian books I'm reading. (I have a whole other post whinging about other stuff I don't like about lesbian fiction, but I'm sticking with the sex for this one).
I was reading a sample of one a couple of weeks ago (a sample, which is only the first 10%), and the lead character stops what she's doing to jump in the sack with some hussy she just met, within the first five pages. THE FIRST FIVE PAGES!! Give me a break. That is not characterisation. That is gratuitous sex. Not even James Bond jumps into bed with the women plotting his downfall in the first five pages (or the first five minutes in the case of the movies).
I get it. We have this image to protect where BBLs (Big Butch Lesbians) can bed anyone they want without consequence, and that makes them super cool. Women, straight and gay, fall at their feet and worship the ground they walk on.
I don't want to read about those characters.
Here's what I want.
I want characters who go through shit that doesn't happen just because they're lesbian. I want characters whose major trait is something OTHER than the fact that they're lesbian.
So the question is, how do I find those characters?
The answer: in my own head. My answer to my frustrations is to write what I want to read, since no-one else seems to be doing it.
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Woah! Has it really been that long??
The last time I posted on the blog was about the huge news of my career change.
That was way back in August last year. I know, so far away now.
I've really been meaning to get back on and do some random posts, but the truth is we've been so busy getting the house renovations finished, then getting it on the market and keeping it clean and tidy, and sorting out work stuff, and moving stuff......
Life just got in the way. As usual.
So anyway, this is just a catch up post to let you know I have survived the big move out west, and have so far survived the increase in temperatures. We've gotten through Christmas and New Year relatively unscathed, which is always a miracle, and now we're throwing ourselves into life in a small town and all that offers.
For me, that means I've just come off of a self-imposed break from all things writing. I've set myself a couple of goals I think will be attainable this year, and I'm slowly working my way into a routine to achieve them.
These first 3-6 months I'll spend writing in the mornings, as they seem to be the quietest times (and the coolest) here, and then researching in the afternoons. I have 3 projects I'm working on, and whichever one comes out on top after that time will be the one I focus on for the final half of this year.
I don't like making resolutions at New Year, which is the reason I gave myself the extra week holiday. I don't like to start anything on the 1st of January, because I'm notoriously bad at keeping to it if it feels like a resolution.
The main thing for me over the next few months will be to get settled into a writing routine I can manage, and then work out how to up the ante to get more words out, and then think about getting something published.
The other thing I want to concentrate on is getting back to a regular blogging schedule. Don't hold your breath for the first couple of months though, as I'm trying to come up with things to actually blog about.
On a different tangent though, I'm really looking forward to having a go at brewing my own beer. Wifey bought me a Coopers home brew kit for Christmas, so I'm looking forward to seeing how I go. I'll certainly keep you posted in that regard.
And I'll be keeping you posted on the word count of my WIPs now, via a wordcount widget which should appear very shortly.
That was way back in August last year. I know, so far away now.
I've really been meaning to get back on and do some random posts, but the truth is we've been so busy getting the house renovations finished, then getting it on the market and keeping it clean and tidy, and sorting out work stuff, and moving stuff......
Life just got in the way. As usual.
So anyway, this is just a catch up post to let you know I have survived the big move out west, and have so far survived the increase in temperatures. We've gotten through Christmas and New Year relatively unscathed, which is always a miracle, and now we're throwing ourselves into life in a small town and all that offers.
For me, that means I've just come off of a self-imposed break from all things writing. I've set myself a couple of goals I think will be attainable this year, and I'm slowly working my way into a routine to achieve them.
These first 3-6 months I'll spend writing in the mornings, as they seem to be the quietest times (and the coolest) here, and then researching in the afternoons. I have 3 projects I'm working on, and whichever one comes out on top after that time will be the one I focus on for the final half of this year.
I don't like making resolutions at New Year, which is the reason I gave myself the extra week holiday. I don't like to start anything on the 1st of January, because I'm notoriously bad at keeping to it if it feels like a resolution.
The main thing for me over the next few months will be to get settled into a writing routine I can manage, and then work out how to up the ante to get more words out, and then think about getting something published.
The other thing I want to concentrate on is getting back to a regular blogging schedule. Don't hold your breath for the first couple of months though, as I'm trying to come up with things to actually blog about.
On a different tangent though, I'm really looking forward to having a go at brewing my own beer. Wifey bought me a Coopers home brew kit for Christmas, so I'm looking forward to seeing how I go. I'll certainly keep you posted in that regard.
And I'll be keeping you posted on the word count of my WIPs now, via a wordcount widget which should appear very shortly.
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Coping with change and my Big News
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| This change I can deal with. Image courtesy of Rebecca Barray WANA Commons |
I'm no longer big on change. I say "no longer" because I used to be all for it.
Years ago, when a club I was involved with debated whether to cut ties with our existing sports club or go in a new direction with a new sports club, I voted for change. I was all for a new start and a chance to build something new and exciting from the ground up. In hindsight, we should have looked better before we leapt, but that's a whole other story.
Back to my point.
I now like being comfortable. I like the familiar. It's easy. It's known. It's not scary. It's safe.
When something happens to change that?
I worry. I panic. I get agitated and angry. I've also been known to swear. Or, in the case of TV shows, stop watching altogether. ("They've changed time slots again?? I'm just not going to watch any more. That will show them!" Sidenote - I really do miss Bones and Greys. Sigh.)
Sometimes, change can be sudden and unexpected.
Like last night, when we went to do our grocery shopping, we realised the shop was changing its layout. I could tell something was up as soon as I could see the toilet paper at the top end of the last aisle - it's usually at the bottom end. (Ha ha! I didn't know I'd made that joke until I was retyping this post.)
I was immediately on my guard. Lo and behold, the softdrinks were no longer with the chips, but with the condiments and sauces (WTF?) Thankfully, they'd left the chocolate in the same aisle as it had always been. I guess someone in management was smart enough not to change that aisle around.
After some bitching and whinging, my wife slapped me and told me to get a grip. No, not really, but I did get over it. The aisles that were finished didn't look so cluttered and apart from having to search for a few things, the shopping trip was still relatively painless.
Some change though, is a slow burn of acceptance.
Which brings me (finally) to my Big News.
Short version: Wifey has a new job based in another town and we're moving. (Saying that fast is like ripping off a bandaid and makes it seem easier than it is.)
Long Version: "The Plan" has always been for me to give up work and focus on my writing "at some time in the future."
That future is fast approaching.
It's exciting and scary and OMGWTF! all at once.
We've been planning this move since this time last year when Wifey landed the job temporarily. We discussed the possibility that it could become permanent which would mean a move to a small town further west.
At first I was like "no way", but after many long nights of
Wifey gets the opportunity to take a higher position doing something she loves, and I finally get the opportunity to stop working for someone else and start really working on getting myself published.
What did we do to celebrate the fact that we'd be dropping to one wage? We went out and bought an investment property. Yay! (Face palm.)
Leaving aside that financial decision (it will be better for us long term, I promise Wifey!), the road to acceptance has been a long one.
The thing is, I never actually thought I'd be able to take time off of my real job to concentrate on my writing. It was always on my wish-list but never, until now, attainable.
So when the opportunity arose, I railed against it. (You did what?) I actually started talking myself out of my dream of becoming a published author, able to live off the money I make from my writing.
Stupid really, but I was scared. Scared of failing, scared of writing crap, scared of letting down everyone who supports me (even though I know they think I'm crazy). Scared of letting go of a great job with great people that brings in safe money so that we can live a
As with all change, there's a transition period. Right now we're in the "Holy shit we need to finish renovating the house so someone will pay us enough money to pay out the mortgage and let us get a new car" phase.
After that will come the "I can't believe no-one will buy our house for a gazillion dollars, it's so worth it" phase, immediately followed by "We'll never have another first house, ever!" phase.
Then there's the "I NEVER want to move again" phase as we unpack and set up a new house in a new town where we know only the people Wifey works for.
But after ALL of that, will be the (hopefully) very long phase of "S R Silcox, full-time author."
I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.
Monday, 13 August 2012
Re-defining Failure - Writing Update
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| Contemplating my next move, even though I have no idea how to play chess. |
Things have been quiet around here over the past few weeks, and not much writing has been done. Not for want of trying - I've managed to get nearly a thousand words done over my last couple of days off, but it's not nearly as much as I was planning for this time of the year.
Couple of reasons.
Firstly, it's tax season here Down Under, which means my day job has gone from cruisey to hectic in one fell swoop. The problem with being an accountant, especially at this time of year, is that it's extremely hard to relax after a big day.
I wake up in the early hours of the morning after dreaming about tax issues for clients, and come up with solutions in the shower. Yeh, so not fun.
So as a matter of survival, I'm not writing from Tuesday through Friday (my work days). My brain is fried enough as it is without adding the extra burden of having to come up with a few hundred words on any number of my current WIP and then feeling guilty when those words don't materialise.
Secondly, we're (Wifey and I) madly trying to finish the house renovations so we can get the house on the market for a big move, which I'll detail in an upcoming post. That has basically written off my weekends completely, since they're currently spent sanding, painting, puttying, gardening and deciding on paint colours and working out how we're going to dress our house up to look her absolute best when she's finished.
The good thing about the renovating though is that it stimulates the creative side of my brain. So instead of wearing me out, while I'm doing those mundane jobs around the house, I've allowed my muse to sneak down the dark alleys in my brain, seeking out new and interesting characters and plot points.
So far, I've re-worked my YA WIP (if only in my head), which is now 40-50% complete on the first draft, and I've come up with two new plot twists and a new character in that same WIP which adds some spice. I'm finally happy with the direction that WIP is going in.
So much so, it's the one I have ear-marked to concentrate on above all others to get a first draft done by the end of January. I'm more excited about that WIP than I have been about any of them in a long time.
Great for my confidence.
I've also been thinking about how I want to progress on this writing path I've chosen, and what little of the Olympics I watched has made me do a bit of soul-searching. Winning gold is a massive achievement for any athlete, but so is winning silver or bronze, and for some, just competing at the Olympics is a success.
In light of that, I've decided to re-define my idea of failure.
Notice I've chosen to redefine failure as opposed to sucess.
I don't want to move the goal-posts I've set for myself with regards to what I want to achieve with my writing. I do, however, want to remove the barriers I keep coming up against (self-imposed I might add), in order to start achieving those little successes that build up into big ones.
I've written about my fear of failure in an earlier post. It's always hanging around in the background, needling me into submission, making me throw my hands up in frustration and walk away from the keyboard with nothing to show for it except a blank page and an intense feeling of guilt and heartbreak. All because my current definition of failure is zero words per day.
But no more.
My new definition of failure is hating writing. If I ever get to that point, that's when I've failed. If I ever get to the point where I just can't physically make myself write one word, that's when I step back and reconsider my options.
Right now? I still love writing. I love the feeling of being in "the zone" when words come easily.
I also love the feeling of bleeding out a hundred or so words when they're not so easy to come by. In some ways, I feel more triumphant on those occasions because I've managed to get words down in spite of feeling tired/like crap/dragging myself kicking and screaming to the keyboard.
So the new plan, until my situation changes in a few months, is to only write on my Mondays off. Whether that's a blog post or outlining my YA WIP, it doesn't matter. Words are words. If I find myself with a spare hour or so during the week where my brain isn't filled with tax stuff, I'll work on the plot or character summaries, and also re-jig my writing plan to take my upcoming situation into account.
At the very least, I want to stay connected to my WIP so that when I have the time to work on it, I know where I'm headed. That time will come soon enough - I just need to be ready for it.
Every writing day will start with one question - "Do you hate writing?" If the answer is no, then there's no excuses. I must write.
On that note, I'm off to work on the new scenes my muse kindly offered up to me over my morning coffee.
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
What I have in common with Beccy Cole
(Apart from stunning good looks and singing ability).
2012 seems to be the "year of coming out" for some reason. I'm not exactly sure why that's so, but I'm happy to run with it.
So far, we've seen the likes of Magda Szubanski, Queen Latifah, and Anderson Cooper come out, and last night I watched as Beccy Cole came out on the ABCs Australian Story.
It was a wonderful program to watch - raw and honest and funny. I suspect much like Beccy herself.
One of the most common questions I see asked in comments threads about any news story that has anything to do with being gay or lesbian is why is there a need to come out at all. It's often followed by a loaded statement, such as "I don't feel the need to declare myself a male heterosexual".
Well, of course you don't. Everybody already just assumes you're straight.
Coming out is not what I really wanted to talk about in this post though.
Most of us have a kind of "aha" moment - the moment of realisation that we can put a name to our feelings. Some of us, like me, have a series of "aha" moments, which build into the Big Moment of Acceptance.
One of those moments came as a result of the BBC show "Playing the Field". It was while watching that show that Beccy says her "aha" moment came.
It was because of that show that I had one of my moments that lead to me accepting myself for who I am.
When that show was airing here in Australia, I was playing for a soccer team called The Blues - same as the show - and so my team mates and I would dissect each episode at training and before and after games. It was funny to watch a show about a team with the same name as us, and pretty cool too. We tried to match up characters with our team mates, with often hilarious results.
It was during one such discussion while watching a match with some parents of my younger team mates that I came close to outing myself. Close, but not quite.
One parent mentioned their frustration that the show was perpetuating a stereotype that dykes played soccer. I listened for awhile, and then said "I can guarantee you that every women's team in our competition has at least one lesbian on the team."
Stopped the conversation dead did that comment.
One of the mums then asked "Every team?" I just looked at her and smiled, and said "Every team."
It's funny looking back now, because I wonder if they actually worked out that I was talking about myself. When I think about my team at the time, process of elimination should have probably brought them back to me.
Nothing changed though with the way I was treated if they did put two-and-two together, and when I did eventually "come out" when I found myself a wonderful partner (who for some reason is still sticking by me), my team mates and their parents and partners were wonderfully accepting.
But helping me on my gay self-discovery wasn't the only thing that show did for me. It actually gave me the inspiration I needed to start writing again. I have two half-finished YA manuscripts to prove it. Both sound ideas, but terribly flawed in their current condition. Both ideas that I will hopefully pursue in the future.
So to those who want to know why we feel the need to come out, I guess it comes down to power.
The problem lies with those "others" who would choose to define us by our sexuality. We "come out" to claim it for ourselves, before someone else does it for us. We do it to show we're proud of who we are, despite this "thing" that we're told is a flaw in our make up.
Being anything other than straight can still be confronting for some people - and for those of us in that minority, we take a huge risk in coming out, so it's not for the faint hearted. It takes courage and confidence.
We risk losing family, friends and jobs. And for someone like Beccy Cole, she risks losing fans, and she also risks a public (and sometimes private) backlash.
But to Beccy Cole, and anyone else coming out, wanting to come out, or wondering if they should, I have this advice:
We are who we are. Those who judge you on one aspect of your self are not worth having in your life.
And from my perspective as a writer, the people who stop reading this blog because they find out I'm gay are not the people I want as fans.
Being gay is not a huge thing in my life, unless others choose to judge me on it. But then, that's their problem, not mine.
Oh, and just one last thing Beccy - I think you'll discover a whole new group of fans after your "coming out". We're a pretty accepting bunch, and we love to celebrate and support our own.
2012 seems to be the "year of coming out" for some reason. I'm not exactly sure why that's so, but I'm happy to run with it.
So far, we've seen the likes of Magda Szubanski, Queen Latifah, and Anderson Cooper come out, and last night I watched as Beccy Cole came out on the ABCs Australian Story.
It was a wonderful program to watch - raw and honest and funny. I suspect much like Beccy herself.
One of the most common questions I see asked in comments threads about any news story that has anything to do with being gay or lesbian is why is there a need to come out at all. It's often followed by a loaded statement, such as "I don't feel the need to declare myself a male heterosexual".
Well, of course you don't. Everybody already just assumes you're straight.
Coming out is not what I really wanted to talk about in this post though.
Most of us have a kind of "aha" moment - the moment of realisation that we can put a name to our feelings. Some of us, like me, have a series of "aha" moments, which build into the Big Moment of Acceptance.
One of those moments came as a result of the BBC show "Playing the Field". It was while watching that show that Beccy says her "aha" moment came.
It was because of that show that I had one of my moments that lead to me accepting myself for who I am.
When that show was airing here in Australia, I was playing for a soccer team called The Blues - same as the show - and so my team mates and I would dissect each episode at training and before and after games. It was funny to watch a show about a team with the same name as us, and pretty cool too. We tried to match up characters with our team mates, with often hilarious results.
It was during one such discussion while watching a match with some parents of my younger team mates that I came close to outing myself. Close, but not quite.
One parent mentioned their frustration that the show was perpetuating a stereotype that dykes played soccer. I listened for awhile, and then said "I can guarantee you that every women's team in our competition has at least one lesbian on the team."
Stopped the conversation dead did that comment.
One of the mums then asked "Every team?" I just looked at her and smiled, and said "Every team."
It's funny looking back now, because I wonder if they actually worked out that I was talking about myself. When I think about my team at the time, process of elimination should have probably brought them back to me.
Nothing changed though with the way I was treated if they did put two-and-two together, and when I did eventually "come out" when I found myself a wonderful partner (who for some reason is still sticking by me), my team mates and their parents and partners were wonderfully accepting.
But helping me on my gay self-discovery wasn't the only thing that show did for me. It actually gave me the inspiration I needed to start writing again. I have two half-finished YA manuscripts to prove it. Both sound ideas, but terribly flawed in their current condition. Both ideas that I will hopefully pursue in the future.
So to those who want to know why we feel the need to come out, I guess it comes down to power.
The problem lies with those "others" who would choose to define us by our sexuality. We "come out" to claim it for ourselves, before someone else does it for us. We do it to show we're proud of who we are, despite this "thing" that we're told is a flaw in our make up.
Being anything other than straight can still be confronting for some people - and for those of us in that minority, we take a huge risk in coming out, so it's not for the faint hearted. It takes courage and confidence.
We risk losing family, friends and jobs. And for someone like Beccy Cole, she risks losing fans, and she also risks a public (and sometimes private) backlash.
But to Beccy Cole, and anyone else coming out, wanting to come out, or wondering if they should, I have this advice:
We are who we are. Those who judge you on one aspect of your self are not worth having in your life.
And from my perspective as a writer, the people who stop reading this blog because they find out I'm gay are not the people I want as fans.
Being gay is not a huge thing in my life, unless others choose to judge me on it. But then, that's their problem, not mine.
Oh, and just one last thing Beccy - I think you'll discover a whole new group of fans after your "coming out". We're a pretty accepting bunch, and we love to celebrate and support our own.
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Sunday Sesh and How reality smacked me in the face
The Beer
This week's sesh is brought to you by Young's Double Chocolate Stout, a brew from the UK.
Truth be known, I've been eyeing this one off for a while now, and I figured you can't really go wrong with beer and chocolate.
What I didn't figure on was this being a burp-factory. This is another with light and tingley carbonation, but it's so black you can't see any bubbles in the glass. I can attest to them being there though.
Taste-wise, it's not as impressive as the name would imply. There's a slight taste of chocolate on the first sip, but apart from that, it's a poor cousin to something like the James Squire porter.
The burnt toffee aftertaste lingers initially, but gradually disappears the more you drink - and being a 500ml bottle, there are two whole drinks in this one.
Having said all that, I did finish it, even though it wasn't one of the best I've had. Probably wouldn't get this one again.
The Post
I had a really cool rant about politics loaded up and ready to go but I came across something while I was traversing the interwebs that I had to share.
Something that made me start thinking about my mortality.
Something that made me realise just how far in the past my childhood is.
Ralph Macchio is fifty. Fifty! I know, right? I can't believe it myself. I thought he was still sixteen, which would make me around, um,one. (Though in reality, he was twenty-three when he played Daniel-san, so I was actually eight when the first movie came out.)
I know, I know. I'm not eight anymore, but that still doesn't make the fact that The Original Karate Kid is over the hill any easier to take.
I know what you're thinking too, and yeh, he was a hotty (I can still appreciate a good-looking lad), but I didn't want to date Daniel-san - I wanted to be Daniel-san.
True story (I have lots of them). When I was a kid, I used to stay at my cousins' house on school holidays. We used to play Barbies and stuff (I was always Ken - the one with the plastic hair), and we used to have a disco at night where we put cassette tapes in the cassette player (usually home-made ones from taping off the radio or Rage), and we'd turn off the lights in the bedroom except for the bed lamps and the glow worms, and we'd party down.
Usually, we'd have a theme, but no matter what the theme was, I would wear a red robe, tie a hanky around my head, and BE The Karate Kid.
"King Fu Fighting" was my song, and when that song came on, I got to cut loose. ("Wax on, wax off").
I was also told when I was a kid that I kinda looked like Ralph. (Un)fortunately, I can't actually find any photos of me when I was eight, but I did have a haircut similar to the photo above, and I could do that intense look quite well. Especially when I was fielding at silly mid-off for my school cricket team.
So anyway, after this discovery, I need more beer to forget the fact that I'm no longer a kid.
This week's sesh is brought to you by Young's Double Chocolate Stout, a brew from the UK.
Truth be known, I've been eyeing this one off for a while now, and I figured you can't really go wrong with beer and chocolate.
 |
| Double Chocolate Stout |
What I didn't figure on was this being a burp-factory. This is another with light and tingley carbonation, but it's so black you can't see any bubbles in the glass. I can attest to them being there though.
Taste-wise, it's not as impressive as the name would imply. There's a slight taste of chocolate on the first sip, but apart from that, it's a poor cousin to something like the James Squire porter.
The burnt toffee aftertaste lingers initially, but gradually disappears the more you drink - and being a 500ml bottle, there are two whole drinks in this one.
Having said all that, I did finish it, even though it wasn't one of the best I've had. Probably wouldn't get this one again.
The Post
I had a really cool rant about politics loaded up and ready to go but I came across something while I was traversing the interwebs that I had to share.
Something that made me start thinking about my mortality.
Something that made me realise just how far in the past my childhood is.
Ralph Macchio is fifty. Fifty! I know, right? I can't believe it myself. I thought he was still sixteen, which would make me around, um,one. (Though in reality, he was twenty-three when he played Daniel-san, so I was actually eight when the first movie came out.)
 |
| The Original Karate Kid |
I know what you're thinking too, and yeh, he was a hotty (I can still appreciate a good-looking lad), but I didn't want to date Daniel-san - I wanted to be Daniel-san.
True story (I have lots of them). When I was a kid, I used to stay at my cousins' house on school holidays. We used to play Barbies and stuff (I was always Ken - the one with the plastic hair), and we used to have a disco at night where we put cassette tapes in the cassette player (usually home-made ones from taping off the radio or Rage), and we'd turn off the lights in the bedroom except for the bed lamps and the glow worms, and we'd party down.
Usually, we'd have a theme, but no matter what the theme was, I would wear a red robe, tie a hanky around my head, and BE The Karate Kid.
"King Fu Fighting" was my song, and when that song came on, I got to cut loose. ("Wax on, wax off").
I was also told when I was a kid that I kinda looked like Ralph. (Un)fortunately, I can't actually find any photos of me when I was eight, but I did have a haircut similar to the photo above, and I could do that intense look quite well. Especially when I was fielding at silly mid-off for my school cricket team.
So anyway, after this discovery, I need more beer to forget the fact that I'm no longer a kid.
Monday, 25 June 2012
Where's the beer?
Four weeks in and I've managed to miss two of those Sunday Sesh's. Various reasons, but suffice to say that there have been some distractions (to put it mildly), that have taken me away from both drinking beer, and my writing.
Not good.
Normal services will resume this Sunday.
Because yeh, I've pre-loaded a Sesh, so it'll go up whether I'm here or not.
Not good.
Normal services will resume this Sunday.
Because yeh, I've pre-loaded a Sesh, so it'll go up whether I'm here or not.
Friday, 15 June 2012
What's my value?
(Apologies for the length of this post. I really wanted to be brief but once I get started, I just can't seem to stop.)
In Queensland, we currently have Civil Partnership Laws enabling couples (hetero and same-sex) to register their relationships. It's a step down from marriage, and isn't recognised in all states or federally, but it's a start.
The new LNP government has decided to leave the registration part of the law as it stands, which is a sigh of relief for those of us (609 couples at last count) who registered.
The LNP have decided, however, that the bit that upsets the Christians (the Premier's words) is the state-sanctioned ceremony, currently only able to be performed at specific courthouses around the state. They've decided to scrap those ceremonies, but still allow the filling out of forms and the paying of money for the priviledge of having our relationships recognised.
On the surface, nothing changes. We still could have ceremonies, and then fill out the paperwork later, or do the reverse - fill out the paperwork and have a celebratory ceremony after the fact.
We still get the extra legal protections, regardless of whether we have the ceremony or not.
All good, on the surface. Seems like a nice compromise.
I have two problems with the reasoning put forward for the change.
The first is the offence caused by this legislation to various churches and religions. I understand the thought of gay marriage, or indeed gay partnerships, are offensive to some people of faith. But not all religions or churches feel that way.
Using this reasoning sets a precedent for other faiths to lobby the government to demand changes to things that cause them offence. That's their right of course, but should offence be a reason to change laws that in reality only affect those who would choose to use them?
The second is that the government has given a clear indication on where it stands on recognising same-sex couples, and indeed LGBTI people individually, whether it meant to or not.
They can say nice words about how much "we're" respected, but it's their actions that really count. And like it or not, the way they treat people, or seem to treat people, sets an example for the rest of us.
By not allowing a simple ceremony (when the whole point of Civil Partnerships is for state-based rather than church-based recognition) sends the message that our relationships aren't valued by the people we have charged with governing over all of us.
In light of the changes, I sent emails to each of the LNP members (which, incidentally, bounced back, but I don't want to scream "conspiracy" just yet), telling them my thoughts.
It took me a long time to put into words why I thought changing the laws would be a step backwards, but when I'd finished and read it over, one sentence stood out above all others.
"The new law sent a clear message to those of us who struggle with our sexuality, as most of us do at some stage in our lives, that we are valued."
I have railed against the arguments against gay marriage, from religious reasons to blatant disriminatory reasons, but it wasn't until now that I was able to actually put how I feel into one word - VALUE.
It comes down to how much we value our fellow human beings.
For those of you who are against gay marriage, for whatever reason, or are non-committal, and don't think it affects you in any way, and for those of you who have gay friends or family members and are still against gay marriage, I ask you to consider this:
Think about your sons and daughters, parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and friends.
Are you happy to see them hurt? Would you be happy to hear them called "pedophile", "not fit for parenting", "mentally unstable", and "diseased"?
Would you stand by while someone says they should all be shot?
How would you feel reading comments to articles on gay marriage and civil unions that say things like "the worst thing the government in Queensland did was make being gay legal. they should be put in jail for their perversions." (A real comment believe it or not).
How would you feel to get a phone call or visit from a police officer, informing you that your loved one is in hospital, or worse, simply because someone else took offence to their sexuality? Or because your loved one committed suicide because they couldn't deal with the stress of being gay or lesbian? Because they were bullied for being different. Because they were told they were inferior.
You may think I am being extreme. "These things don't happen all the time," you say. I'm sorry to tell you that they do.
Why? Because those who say and do those terrible things don't value others. They feel they have a right to punish those of us who are a little different.
How will allowing gay marriage change that?
It shows that at the very highest level, we are valued. It takes away an excuse for marginalising and discriminating.
It shows us that we are valued as human beings, and as citizens of our great country. It makes a statement that we are no different from our heterosexual friends and family, and it acknowledges that we too, can fall in love and make the decision to make a formal commitment to the person we love.
A civil partnership is not marriage. It's the furthest a State may go with regards to legal recognition of relationships, but it's a start.
So I ask you:
How much do you value your friends and family?
How much do you value me?
In Queensland, we currently have Civil Partnership Laws enabling couples (hetero and same-sex) to register their relationships. It's a step down from marriage, and isn't recognised in all states or federally, but it's a start.
The new LNP government has decided to leave the registration part of the law as it stands, which is a sigh of relief for those of us (609 couples at last count) who registered.
The LNP have decided, however, that the bit that upsets the Christians (the Premier's words) is the state-sanctioned ceremony, currently only able to be performed at specific courthouses around the state. They've decided to scrap those ceremonies, but still allow the filling out of forms and the paying of money for the priviledge of having our relationships recognised.
On the surface, nothing changes. We still could have ceremonies, and then fill out the paperwork later, or do the reverse - fill out the paperwork and have a celebratory ceremony after the fact.
We still get the extra legal protections, regardless of whether we have the ceremony or not.
All good, on the surface. Seems like a nice compromise.
I have two problems with the reasoning put forward for the change.
The first is the offence caused by this legislation to various churches and religions. I understand the thought of gay marriage, or indeed gay partnerships, are offensive to some people of faith. But not all religions or churches feel that way.
Using this reasoning sets a precedent for other faiths to lobby the government to demand changes to things that cause them offence. That's their right of course, but should offence be a reason to change laws that in reality only affect those who would choose to use them?
The second is that the government has given a clear indication on where it stands on recognising same-sex couples, and indeed LGBTI people individually, whether it meant to or not.
They can say nice words about how much "we're" respected, but it's their actions that really count. And like it or not, the way they treat people, or seem to treat people, sets an example for the rest of us.
By not allowing a simple ceremony (when the whole point of Civil Partnerships is for state-based rather than church-based recognition) sends the message that our relationships aren't valued by the people we have charged with governing over all of us.
In light of the changes, I sent emails to each of the LNP members (which, incidentally, bounced back, but I don't want to scream "conspiracy" just yet), telling them my thoughts.
It took me a long time to put into words why I thought changing the laws would be a step backwards, but when I'd finished and read it over, one sentence stood out above all others.
"The new law sent a clear message to those of us who struggle with our sexuality, as most of us do at some stage in our lives, that we are valued."
I have railed against the arguments against gay marriage, from religious reasons to blatant disriminatory reasons, but it wasn't until now that I was able to actually put how I feel into one word - VALUE.
It comes down to how much we value our fellow human beings.
For those of you who are against gay marriage, for whatever reason, or are non-committal, and don't think it affects you in any way, and for those of you who have gay friends or family members and are still against gay marriage, I ask you to consider this:
Think about your sons and daughters, parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and friends.
Are you happy to see them hurt? Would you be happy to hear them called "pedophile", "not fit for parenting", "mentally unstable", and "diseased"?
Would you stand by while someone says they should all be shot?
How would you feel reading comments to articles on gay marriage and civil unions that say things like "the worst thing the government in Queensland did was make being gay legal. they should be put in jail for their perversions." (A real comment believe it or not).
How would you feel to get a phone call or visit from a police officer, informing you that your loved one is in hospital, or worse, simply because someone else took offence to their sexuality? Or because your loved one committed suicide because they couldn't deal with the stress of being gay or lesbian? Because they were bullied for being different. Because they were told they were inferior.
You may think I am being extreme. "These things don't happen all the time," you say. I'm sorry to tell you that they do.
Why? Because those who say and do those terrible things don't value others. They feel they have a right to punish those of us who are a little different.
How will allowing gay marriage change that?
It shows that at the very highest level, we are valued. It takes away an excuse for marginalising and discriminating.
It shows us that we are valued as human beings, and as citizens of our great country. It makes a statement that we are no different from our heterosexual friends and family, and it acknowledges that we too, can fall in love and make the decision to make a formal commitment to the person we love.
A civil partnership is not marriage. It's the furthest a State may go with regards to legal recognition of relationships, but it's a start.
So I ask you:
How much do you value your friends and family?
How much do you value me?
Sunday, 10 June 2012
An offer almost too good to refuse
As you can see, I'm trying out a new format this week. Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
Also, I should put a language and content warning on this one for those of you sensitive to words containing asterisks.
The Review
We all know the rivalry and the brotherhood we have with our cousins across the ditch. It's always been a love/hate relationship. We love them for giving us Russell Crowe (most of the time), Keith Urban, Rebecca Gibney and lesbian icon, Lucy Lawless. We hate them for taking the Bledisloe and World Cups.
We forgive them for beating us in the second test in Tasmania last year, if only because they hardly ever get close to us, and we also have a soft spot for Dan Vettori, Richard Hadlee and the Crowe brothers (the latter tearing us up in the 1980s).
I'm happy to report that they've given me something to crow about with Monteith's Black Beer.
It smells sweet and fresh in the bottle, and pours like sars. It tastes immedediately of coffee and caramel, but gives a slight aftertaste of burnt toffee. I have a mouth full of sweet teeth, so just writing that makes my mouth water.
It's another of those beers that isn't overly gassy, so it tingles your tongue. I like how you don't feel like you're drinking a mouthful of air as well as the beer.
Although not quite as sweet as Engine Oil and a little drier, this would make a great winter session beer because it's not as filling as the UK brew I tried last week.
At $3.60 a bottle ($52.99 a carton), this is a mid-shelfer.
The Post
I've been wanting to do a post on the shit that comes into my email box for ages but most of it's been relatively boring. Things like:- offers for replica Rolexes (as opposed to those nasty fake ones)
- Gambling offers ('Free $300 credit when you JOIN NOW!')
- Free viagra (I read it as "free vagina once" and almost clicked through)
- College f*ck books ('Two hot college girls want to sleep with you this weekend.' Such a pity I'm always busy - with my Wife!)
- Fifty Shades of Grey alert from Amazon. Oh wait, that was a legitimate one. (And literary fiction? Seriously, Amazon?)
So I took a look.
(The email in italics, and my comments underneath).
BABE... i guess your not getting any of my email huh? ive been tryign to email u so many times but this dam laptop is such a piece of garbage and keeps freezing.. anyways how u been? In case u dont know who this is its ME TORI.. we used to chat a bit on facebook and then I think u deleted me :(
First things first - I live in Australia. The only Tori's we have here are imported. I have never, ever in my 36 years, known a Tori.
Oh, but I've been good. Thanks for asking. And I hate to be pedantic but you know me - I'm a writer so spelling's kinda important. It's 'trying' not 'tryign'.
anyways guess what... I got 2 things to tell u.. 1) im single now.. yup me and my bf broke up about 3 months ago... and 2) guess where im moving?
RIGHT EFFING NEAR U
Oh see, now that's really unlucky, because I'll be moving soon to a small town far, far ,far away. Sorry about your break-up though. That's sad, right? (By the way, there's the reason for your content warning right there - I hope no-one's offended by Tori's use of 'effing', especially since she YELLED it).
I remember when we chatted u told me u thought i was cute and u wanted to chill so now we finally can HAHA! ...maybe even help me move my shit in...
I don't drive so you'll have to move your own shit in. Sorry.
And I tell so many people they're cute, I've lost track. You'll have to remind me who you are.
ok so more info about me.. well im 23.. virgo.. love the outdoors and love to socialize, go out for drinks, restaurants, movies etc.. travel.. i have a lil kitty named BOO and i luv her to death... uhhh oh im a super horny gurl too but every gurl is they just wont admit it. so ilove watching p0rn and all that..
You should have mentioned your kitty earlier. I totally would have clicked through right then. I also love how you evaded my filter by using 'p0rn' instead of 'porn'. That show's you're smart. I like smart women.
i hope u remmeber me and still wanna chill and arent married yet lol..
Does it matter if I am if I tell you I'm not?
OH YA also..
i need to find a job when i get there.. do u have any
hookups or know anybody hiring? id LOVE to work in a bar or osmehting like
that...really anythgin cause my current job is fun and all..
and technically i CUD keep doign it but i want a change..
i currently work from home and well thats cool but i need ot be out meeting
people.. oh wait. i dont think i ever actually told u what i did? hmm shud
i......????
Wow, you really don't ask for much, Tori. And there's that spelling thing again. You seem to have trouble with where the 'n' and 'g' goes in 'ing' words.
But yeh, why don't you tell me what you do.
But yeh, why don't you tell me what you do.
ok WELLLL... and dont get all weirded out on me.. i work
on a webcam chat community site and i get paid to chat with people
A webcam chat? Like skype? Cool. I like skype.
and get naked HHAHA...
Oh, riiight. THAT type of webcam.
anyways i hope u dont look down on that and NO THATS NOT WHY IM CONTACTING U RELAX URSELF lol... i actually need help once i move and i remembered u live there so im reaching out....like i said before this computer is a complete piece of CRAP and freezes NON STOP..
A webcam chat? Like skype? Cool. I like skype.
and get naked HHAHA...
Oh, riiight. THAT type of webcam.
anyways i hope u dont look down on that and NO THATS NOT WHY IM CONTACTING U RELAX URSELF lol... i actually need help once i move and i remembered u live there so im reaching out....like i said before this computer is a complete piece of CRAP and freezes NON STOP..
I'm so happy you're only contacting me because you want my help, and not because you want my business.
I do think you should get your laptop fixed though, otherwise your webcam chats could end up looking like they were filmed in a nightclub with strobe lights, all jumpy and pixelated.
ANYWAYS.. heres the deal....every month (my boss)
gives each of us 3 VIP codes to give out to whoever we want.. so with this code
u can lgoin to watch me at work for free and dont have to pay like everyone
else...
I love freebies :) Where do I sign?
i
only get 3 a month and she gets pissed if more than 3 people use them so DONT
SHARE IT MISTER...
Oh no problem. I don't like sharing anyway. Plus, it's Ms, but whatever.
i figured u cud
always email me back instead but my email account doesnt even let me login half
the time.. so the bets palce ot chat me is my chat room...
Freakin' email. It sucks when you can't log in. I'm glad you can still log in to your webcam chat account though. Such a relief.
Freakin' email Sucks when you can't send any. Just like this one. Must have gotten its little self through before it wigged out on you, huh? Lucky me.
Freakin' email. It sucks when you can't log in. I'm glad you can still log in to your webcam chat account though. Such a relief.
Freakin' email Sucks when you can't send any. Just like this one. Must have gotten its little self through before it wigged out on you, huh? Lucky me.
anyways ive rambled on and on now and ur probably soooo
annnoyed with me so ill stop now.. im gonna go start work..
k babe im out for now... chat ya soon..
kisses xoxo
Wow, I think I've got a good one here. What do you think?
On the up side, at least her english is readable, even with the bad spelling.
One question though, who wants the free codes?
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